Selina stood by the edge of the massive bed, arms crossed, eyes sharp as a blade pulled from velvet. The robe she wore hung loosely, like armor pretending to be silk. Her lips were slightly parted—breathing shallow, controlled.
Across from her, Eclipse removed his jacket.
Calm. Casual.
Deadly.
He tossed it onto the chair, his eyes never leaving her.
"You agreed to this," he said, voice low, "so don't look at me like I'm the one forcing fate's hand."
Selina's eyes narrowed."I agreed to pretend. Don't mistake convenience for consent."
Eclipse's smirk barely flickered. He stepped closer.
"Then lie beside me like a queen lies beside her enemy. We'll see who stays cold longer."
It wasn't the proximity that made her stomach twist.
It was the fact she knew the rhythm of his breath. The way he only smirked when he felt out of control. The way her body remembered him—when her mind screamed to forget.
They weren't lovers. Not now. Maybe never.
But they were… unfinished.
And every second they shared this room, they were feeding something ancient, wild, and dangerously alive.
They were two grenades without pins—thrown into the same silk-covered bed, praying one wouldn't explode before sunrise.
Scene Switch – Moments Later
The lights were off. But the silence was louder than thunder.
Selina lay on the edge of the bed.Eclipse, far on the other side.
Neither moved.
Neither slept.
And then—his voice.
Soft. Almost vulnerable.
"Did you ever love me… back then?"
Selina clenched her eyes shut. Her throat tightened.
"You tricked me."
"That wasn't the question."
She turned, sitting up. The blanket slipped from her shoulder.
Her eyes met his in the dark.Wide. Wild. Wounded.
"Do you even know what love is?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he reached for the chain around his neck and pulled out the other half of her broken pendant.
"I only know what I bled for."
The truth was a poison they both kept sipping—hoping it would kill the pain before it killed them.
He hadn't moved on.
Neither had she.
But what they shared now wasn't love. It was the ghost of it—burning through both of them like smoke trapped in sealed lungs.
They were walking through a fire they'd both lit, pretending the heat didn't hurt because it was the only warmth they had ever known.
The next morning—
Selina woke to find herself tangled in Eclipse's arms.
Not in passion.
In desperation.
And on her left ring finger… was a ring.
Not hers.
Not new.
It was the ring she thought she buried years ago.
Engraved inside:"Till fate reclaims you."
And beneath the pillow—a sealed envelope.
From him.
Labeled:"For when you finally remember who you chose."